One million people demonstrated across France on Saturday to protest against the pension reform being pushed by the government of President Emmanuel Macron, according to the conveners, of which 300,000 would be at the Paris protest alone.
The Paris Police Prefecture has put the number of attendees in the capital at 48,000, while the Interior Ministry has confirmed 368,000 demonstrators in 251 rallies and demonstrations counted across France.
This is the day with the lowest turnout since the mobilizations began seven weeks ago, far from the 963,000 of February 11 or the record 1.28 million of March 7, according to police figures. »The days do not compare, they add up,» argued the secretary general of the National Union of Autonomous Trade Unions (UNSA), Laurent Escure.
Meanwhile, there are at least 26 arrested in the French capital, according to the latest data from the Prefecture of the Paris Police, quoted by BFMTV television. The agents themselves have reported the presence of hooded individuals who have carried out attacks on stores.
The day of protest, the seventh consecutive weekly mobilization, has been called by the main French trade unions, with the General Confederation of Workers (CGT) at the head, while the opposition also supports the mobilizations. The leader of La France Insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon has been present at the demonstration in Marseille together with 7,000 people.
»I believe that we need a democratic way out of this impasse», said the leftist leader, who thus supports the option of the popular consultation.
»Mr. Macron leaves us no other possibility (…). We hope that in a few days he will end up understanding that this cannot last like this,» he added. »We never had the impression that power was so weak and, at the same time, novel, ridiculous, with too many words, inappropriate gestures», he indicated.
For his part, the secretary general of the General Confederation of Workers (CGT), Philippe Martinez, has declared at the beginning of the demonstration in Paris that »if (Macron) is so sure of himself, we invite him to consult the French people». »It is democracy,» he reiterated.
For Martinez, »the majority is absolute in opposition to this unjust reform and in support of the mobilizations and strikes,» added the union leader.
The union Fuerza Obrera (FO) has denounced for its part the »contempt» of Macron in the face of the contestation. »His answer is a form of contempt,» said the secretary general of FO, Frédéric Souillot, in reference to Macron’s refusal to even receive them.
Souillot has therefore advocated the »blockade of the economy» if the president continues to turn a deaf ear to the demands of the demonstrations.
There have also been protests in Toulouse, with 10,000 attendees according to the Prefecture –45,000 according to the conveners–; Saint-Etienne, with 2,350 and 8,000 attendees and Strasbourg, with 1,300 and 5,000 demonstrators. There were also demonstrations in Tarbes (2,500 and 6,000), Roanne (2,000 and 4,000), Arras (1,400 and 2,000) and Montauban (1,000 and 5,000).
Meanwhile, strikes against the pension reform continue. Just this Saturday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) has asked airlines to cancel 20 percent of their flights scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at several airports, including Paris-Orly, due to the air traffic controllers’ strike.
»For March 11, air traffic will be disrupted at Paris-Orly, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes and Bordeaux airports,» the DGAC reported last Thursday. On Sunday, only Orly, Marseille and Toulouse airports will be affected.
The Government’s plan, which is currently in the midst of parliamentary proceedings, proposes raising the official retirement age from 62 to 64, extending the number of years of contributions required to receive the maximum pension and eliminating the specific schemes that currently exist for certain sectors.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
